whether it’s a global pandemic, a national recession, or a personal financial setback. Your side hustle can be the backup to get you through by providing an additional stream of income to help pay your bills or build a well-stocked emergency fund.
There are also many instances of well-executed side hustles that generate enough revenue to replace the income from the owner’s full-time job, giving them the option to be their own boss on their own schedule if they decide to do so. Essentially, your side hustle can create a multitude of options for your life, and those options equal freedom and the ability to follow your passions! How about that for something you just do “on the side”?
But back to mindset—the way you decide to think about your side hustle can make all the difference. If you tell yourself that all it can ever be is a side thing that will earn a few dollars here and there, then that’s what it will be and you can stop reading this book here.
However, if deep down you believe your side hustle has the potential for incredible success and you are not willing to put a limit on how far it can go, then you are setting the stage for endless potential and incredible success (even if you don’t know how you’ll get there just yet).
Like I said, your mindset will keep you motivated and focused, and this is important because starting any kind of business is hard. Even “just” a side hustle. It takes hard work, time spent away from doing things with your loved ones, early mornings and late nights, learning new things, and testing, testing, and testing again.
There’s also the emotional and mental toll it can take. Starting something new or doing things differently, especially in business, can be isolating, and it can be really hard to want to keep going when things seem to be happening extremely slowly or not at all. Your friends might not understand this new ambition and you might not immediately find your new business support system or mentorship. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you think about the journey ahead of you and the things you need to do despite only having 24 hours in a day, and even more intimidating to think about doing everything on your own.
All of that being said, preparation for success is vital to get you ready to face these challenges. This means preparing your mindset, figuring out your schedule, adjusting your lifestyle (if only for a season), and establishing a way to stay accountable as you work on your side hustle.
Preparing Your Mindset
Your mindset is like a muscle you have to keep in shape. And as you undertake the journey to building a successful business, this muscle is more important than ever. To prepare your mindset, you need to first decide that you are going to commit to the journey. Don’t just go halfway; give it your all. Part of motivating this commitment means getting clear on the reason you want to succeed—what is your why? Who or what are you doing this for? Why do you want it so badly? Write down your reason (or reasons) and put it in a place where you’ll see it every day. It could be a sticky-note on your bathroom mirror, an image on your phone’s lock screen, or even your computer background. Having your why in place will help you work through distractions and will empower you to keep going.
Next, commit to affirming yourself. Create daily positive reminders of why you are amazing and why you are capable of doing this, regardless of your current position. This will help you counter the negative talk in your mind (that little annoying voice that always pops up at the most inconvenient times to discourage you). Leverage your affirmations to shut that rude voice down—like, hey, voice, yes, you, BE QUIET. Your affirmations could be quotes, prayers, or sentences you create yourself. Whichever way you choose to craft them, they should be positive, in present tense, and empowering.
Adjusting Your Schedule
By adjusting your schedule to accommodate working on your business, you are being intentional about putting your desire for success into action. It’s you designating a set period of your days, weeks, and months to put in the effort and making time for your success.
You can adjust your schedule so you wake up early to work on your business before you go to your main job, or you may decide to stay up late after your house has quieted down. You can dedicate time to your side hustle on the weekend. Whatever schedule you settle on, set reminders (e.g., phone alarms or computer notifications), and create a prioritized daily to-do list. Intentional actions like this will enable you to build consistency around the actions you need to take to build your side hustle.
Tip: Make your calendar updates and reminders fun! This will motivate you each time you look at your schedule and get those reminder alerts. Just seeing your calendar show, “Work on my amazing business!” from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., or getting a reminder like, “Hey, Queen! It’s time for XYZ task; you got this!” can be just what you need in that moment to make things happen. You could even cue Rhianna’s “Work” song (♪ work, work, work, work, work ♪) as your “It’s time to work” alarm. Who said this journey couldn’t be fun?
Staying Accountable
Another really important step as you prepare to build your successful side hustle is getting and staying accountable. The early stage of your business is like planting fresh seeds. In order for your seeds to grow, you need to water them, make sure they get enough sunlight, and keep weeds away from choking out your budding plants.
This is where your accountability partners come in. These people are your water, your sunlight, and your weed-killers. These are the people who will pick you up when you are feeling down, will give you objective feedback, and will tell you to cut it out when you try to start the pity party. They could be people in your life who cheer you on or like minded friends also working on their side-hustle journeys.
If you don’t have them physically around you, leverage the internet to build a supportive community. Find those side-hustle owners and entrepreneurs you admire and make them your best friends in your head. Follow their journeys, read their posts, listen to their interviews, watch their videos. Keep yourself accountable by keeping up with them to stay motivated and focused.
Be sure to schedule time frequently to check in with your real-life accountability partners or your online besties.
Take Action
Carve out some time to prepare yourself for the journey ahead.
1 Determine your why. Know why you are doing this and why you want to succeed. Write it down and put it somewhere you can see it every day.
2 Create affirmations that will empower you to succeed. Leverage quotes, prayers, or statements you create yourself. They should be positive and in present tense. Set a reminder to review them often.
3 Lay out your schedule. Make time to work on your business and take action each day, no matter how small. Set your alerts and reminders, and don’t forget to make them fun and empowering.
4 Identify your accountability partner or partners. Who can positively support you on this journey and cheer you on? Let them know what you are doing and ask to check in with them frequently. Depending on schedules, it could be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, but you want to build some consistency around it, especially when you are first getting started. If you don’t have accountability partners in person, start researching to find people online who can motivate you. Follow them on social media and subscribe to their newsletters, video channels, podcasts, etc.
MY SIDE HUSTLE BUSINESS STORY
I started side-hustling as a preteen selling candy to my friends
